Dangote Sugar Refinery to scale up Investment Capacity with $700m

Aliko Dangote, president of the Dangote Group, has announced that the Dangote Sugar Refinery Plc is significantly scaling up its investment in the sugar sub-sector in line with the requirement of the Nigeria Sugar Master Plan.

The company said it is committing over $700 million to its investment in the Backward Integration Programme.

Dangote made this known while speaking at the flag-off ceremony of the 2022/2023 Crushing Season and Outgrower Scheme Awards in Numan, Adamawa State, adding that the company is making massive investments in Adamawa State through the expansion of DSR Numan sugar refining capacity from 3,000 tonnes of cane per day (tcd) to 6,000 tcd, 9,800 tcd and to 15,000 tcd.

President of the Dangote Group, said increasing the sugar refining capacity will require a corresponding increase in sugarcane production capacity.

He revealed that the company has concluded plans to increase its sugar plantation from the current land area under cane production of about 8,700 hectares in 2022 to about 24,200 hectares within the next seven years.

He also announced that the company will double its scholarship and empowerment schemes in its host communities.

In his words: “We will continue to introduce more initiatives to support our host communities. Through these initiatives and our numerous Corporate Social Responsibility activities, DSR Numan will be able to touch the lives of the people, bringing social, economic, and infrastructural development to our host communities.

“We are thus committing over $700 million to our investment in the Backward Integration Programme to enable us to put in place needed infrastructure for the eventual commencement of full-scale production.”

Dangote explained that Dangote Sugar will change the trajectory by making Nigeria self-sufficient in the sector, adding that the company had already spent billions of naira in developing infrastructural facilities for host communities.

Otunba Adeniyi Adebayo, minister of industry, trade, and investment, speaking at the event, declared that the Dangote Sugar Refinery is the biggest contributor to the sugar development stride of the Federal Government.

Adebayo applauded Aliko Dangote and the management staff of Dangote Sugar Refinery for their massive support through the company’s corporate social responsibility scheme.

The minister revealed that the agencies under his ministry will partner with the company to provide the technical know-how that will support the Dangote empowerment schemes in the host communities.

Umaru Fintiri, governor of Adamawa State, represented by his deputy, Crowther Seth, said he was delighted by the social-economic transformation carried out by the Dangote Group and assured of the support of the state government, while enjoining other corporate bodies to imbibe Dangote’s spirit of job creation across the country.

Hama Bachama, Daniel Shaga Ismail, speaking on behalf of the traditional rulers, noted that Dangote is God-sent and promised that his people would continue to support the company.